Thanks Wikipedia

I’ve learnt so much about so much from Wikipedia. So, when they shared a message asking readers/me to donate, I donated $15. It is a small amount. And, I hope it helps.

In doing this, they also taught me a lesson how to craft a simple and powerful marketing message. Inc.com had a nice article about the beautifully crafted messaging they use.

“Dear readers, Time is running out in 2016 to help Wikipedia. To protect our independence, we will never run ads. We’re sustained by donations averaging about $15. Only a tiny portion of our readers give. If everyone reading this right now gave $3, our fundraiser would be done within an hour. Think of it like buying a scoop of your favorite ice cream, only much healthier. And your donation supports the only non-profit on the list of the world’s top ten most visited websites. That’s pretty sweet. Please take one minute to keep Wikipedia online and growing. Thank you.”

As someone who works for a group supporting online ads, I definitely appreciate the resolve behind the stand. Wikipedia could become one of the world’s most formidable ad businesses by flipping a switch. So, it isn’t an easy stand to make. After all, your values are your values only when you lose money over them. And, they clearly do.

Additionally, Wikipedia is a wonderful reminder that, with a bit of leadership and organization, volunteers around the world can collaborate to build something special.

I think a non-negligible percentage of my Google searches are actually to find the link to the wiki. Long may that continue.